Expander for pipes, tubes, &amp;c.



H. G. GILLMOR.

BXPANDER FOR PIPES, TUBES, 6m.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, 1908.

1,@1949, f Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

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'end lof the pipe.

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`HORATIO G. .GILIilVIOR, '0F QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS.

EXPAND-ER FOR PIPES, TUBES, Sw.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented@ ec. i6, i913.

.Applicationled'March 23, .19.08. Seria1.I\T.o..422,789.

.To all wiz omit. may Gomera:

Be itfknown that I, VflloRA'rIo G. "GILLMOR, a citizen of .the United States, residing at Quincy, county ofNorfoll, Stateof 4Massachusetts, have invented a .new and useful .Expander l'for Pipes, T.ubes, &c., fof `which the following vis 'a specification.

My invention .relates :to expa-nders for pipes, tubes, etc., and-one .of the .objects of my invention :is `to lproduce a simple and :efficient expander which shall be 'compact and so. easyito loperate. as to be :adapted ,to be .operated .by hand.

Another ,obj ect ofathe .invention Vis 'to produce an expander which may be employed 'for flaring the ends ofthe `pipes or tubes, and expanding tthe -outer surf-aces of `the flared ends finto intimate contact with .flared .surfaces-of'flanges,.plates, heads, sockets, etc.

Further objects will .hereinafter appear .and :to Athese ends the invention consists of an expander for carrying out thexabove objects .embodying the features of construction, :combination of elements, :and arrange- .'.ment .of parts, substantially as hereinafter .described vand lclaimed 1n fthis specification,

and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which,-

'Figure `l is zaside elevation, part-ly in section, showing the position of the expander with relationfto a pipe .and iange when expanding -apipe into a flange and flaringthe Figs. '2 .and 3 are, `respectively, an end View of kthe expander and la section at the plane indicated by l, l in fFig. l. Figs. 4 and 5 are, respectively, the mandrel .or spindleand one of the Vtypes .oftrolls used.

:Similar letters refer :to similar `parts throughout :the several `views.

(a.) and representhardened steel rolls :one ofthe .ends of which are :tapered as indicated 'at (c) and theother ends .of whichare vformed with yconical surfaces (d) inclining :toward the tapered -end of the rollers.

(e) is a .spindle or mand-rel vconstructed with `conical surfaces yand corresponding to the surfaces (c) and (d) of the rolls. The `other end of the mandrel .is constructed with screw threads .(L) and fitted with Aa nut The rolls are retained in posit-ion circumferentially by the cage (Ze) provided with slots (.Z) `which receive pivots (1m) formed upon theends 0f the rolls so that .therolls may rotate and also have limited radial movement in the cage. Thecage .is arranged to bear upon the end of the rolls at (a.) to take the zend thrust upon the rolls. A sleeve 1(0) is free `to move laterally upon 'the mandrel but is prevented from turning .upon `it `by a :key (.72) so that turning the sleeve by means of a wrench applied to the surfaces (y), or otherwise, will cause lthe mandrel ato rotate. rlhe other kend of the ksleeve is bored out to receive oneend of the `cage and arranged to receive the friction freducing bearing (r), which is rpreferably of the ball or roller type, through which the .end l.thrust kof the rolls upon the cage `is transmitted to the sleeve.

In vdotted lines are shown in section a pipe tiange (s) constructed with interior surfaces and .flared surface (u) at the 'face end of the fiange. The pipe (o) is indicated in process of being expanded int-o the iange Surfaces (w) ofthe rolls (a) and (fb) are formed to correspond to fthe interior surfaces (t) of the flange (s) :ando'ther surfaces (m) upon the rolls (b) .only are constructed to correspond Ato lthe liaring surfaces (u) at the :face end of the flange.

The expander is operated by inserting it .inthe pipe, after the iange has been placed in position, untilthe surfaces (fw) are approximately opposite the interior surfaces (z5) ofthe flange. Setting up the nut forces the sleeve (0), the cage (7c) and the frolls (a.) and endwise upon the mandrel and so `forces the rolls outward through the Contact of the :conical surfaces (0) and (d) yof ythe rolls wit-h the conical surfaces (f) and of the mandrel. When the rolls khave thus been forced out into contact .with the interior of the pipe rotation of `the pander, fby means of a wrench applied at (y), or otherwise, causes the rolls to revolve and roll the :material of the pipe. The nut (i) isset up from ytime to time and the rotation of t-he expander continued until the complete expansion of the pipe into the fiange has been effected.

The rolls (a) are preferably made slightly greater in diameter than the rolls so that they will come Ainto action upon the interior of the .pipe somewhat in advance of the rolls (e) and the surfaces of the rolls (a) so form a path for 'the surfaces (fw) of the rolls The surfaces upon the rolls lcorresponding to the flaring surfaces (ct) of the flange will roll the flare upon Vthe end of the pipe and the surfaces (w) of the rolls (b) following the path of the rolls (a) retain the rolls (b) against the tendency to end displacement which the thrust upon t-he surfaces introduces.

The expander might be arranged with a greater number of each of the rolls (a) and than illustrated in the drawings, three or more of each being employed. lt might also be constructed with three or more rolls such as (a), only, or with three or more of the rolls (b), only; and, in some cases, it would be desirable to employ first an expander constructed with three or more of the rolls (a) only for expanding the pipe into contact with the surfaces (t) at the interior of the flange; and then to expand the flare upon the end of the pipe by employing an expander constructed with three or more of the rolls (b). The sleeve (o) might also be constructed with female threads, the key (p) be omitted and the sleeve screwed into the spindle, the end of which could be squared or otherwise arranged to be held while the sleeve is screwed into it, to give the necessary endwise movement of the cage and rolls. rllhe friction reducing bearing v might also be omitted and the cage be made to bear directly upon the sleeve or a friction washer between the sleeve and cage. Other modifications in the construction of the expander might be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. @bviously also some features of this invention may be used without others-and the invention may be embodied in widely varying forms.

Therefore, without limiting the invention to the construction shown and described, or enumcrating equivalents, what l claim and desire to secure Letters Patent for is:

l. The combination of a plurality of rolls constructed with a plurality of parallel conical surfaces, and a mandrel having a plib rality of parallel conical surfaces adapted to bear upon the parallel conical surfaces of said rollers.

Q. An expander, including, in combination with a plurality of rollers constructed with a plurality of parallel conical surfaces, a mandrel constructed with a plurality of parallel conical surfaces adapted to bear upon the parallel conical surfaces of said rollers, and a means for forcibly changing the longitudinal position of said mandrel with respect to said rollers, and thereby forcing said rollers outwardly from the axis of said mandrel.

3. A n expander, including, in combination with forming rolls having bodies constructed to shape by rolling surfaces of a tube and a plurality of parallel conical surfaces, a mandrel constructed with a plurality of parallel conical surfaces adapted to have rolling Contact with conical surfaces of said rolls, and means whereby the relative positions of said rolls in relation to said mandrel may be changed endwise to change the positions of the axes thereof radially from the axis of said mandrel.

rlhe combination of a plurality of rolls constructed with a plurality of parallel conical surfaces, a spindle having a plurality of parallel conical surfaces adapted to bear upon conical surfaces of said rolls, means for retaining said rolls in position circumferentially about said spindle, and means for changing the longitudinal position of contact of said rolls with said spindle, substantially as described.

5. The combination of rolls and a mandrel having a plurality of parallel conical surfaces adapted to contact with and drive said rolls, vith secondary rolls, contacting with and driven by the conical surfaces of said mandrel, constructed with surfaces adapted to expand and flare the end of a pipe.

6. An expander, including, in combination with rolls and a mandrel having a plurality of parallel conical surfaces adapted to con-v tact with and drive said rolls, secondary rolls, contacting with and adapted to be driven by said mandrel, constructed'with surfaces adapted to expand and flare the end of a tube and means for changing the endwise position of said mandrel with respect to said rolls.

7. An expander comprising a spindle having a plurality of conical surfaces inclined in the same direction, a plurality of rolls, each having a plurality of conical surfaces adapted to contact with and roll upon coni- Cal surfaces of said spindle, a cage constructed to retain said rolls inV position circumferentially about said spindle and permitrotation and limited radial movement of said rolls in said cage, and means whereby the lateral position of said spindle with respect to said rolls and cage may be changed, substantially as and for the purposes described.

8. An expander comprising a mandrel constructed with a plurality of parallel conical surfaces, rolls constructed with a pli1- rality of parallel conical surfaces adapted to contact with and roll upon the conical surfaces of said mandrel, means for retaining said rolls in position circumferentially while permitting rotation and limited radial movement of said rolls, a sleeve constructed to move laterally but prevented from revolution upon said mandrel, constructed to overcome the end thrust upon said rolls and cage, and means whereby said sleeve may be moved laterally upon said mandrel against an opposing end thrust thereon, substantially as and for the purposes described.

9. An expander comprising a spindle constructed with a plurality of parallel conical surfaces, a plurality of rolls having a plurality of parallel conical surfaces adapted to contact With and roll upon the conical surfaces of said mandrel, a cage constructed to receive the end thrust upon said rolls and retain said rolls in posit-ion circumferentially about said spindle, While permitting rotation and limited radial movement of said rolls, a friction reducing bearing in contact with said cage at one side, a sleeve upon said spindle in contact With said friction reducing bearing at the other side thereof, and means whereby said sleeve may be moved laterally upon said spindle against the end thrust of said rolls and cage thereon, substantially as and for the purposes described.

l0. An expander, including, in combination With a plurality of rolls constructed with a plurality of parallel conical surfaces, a mandrel having a plurality of parallel conical surfaces adapted to contact With and drive said rolls, means for changing the end- .u'ise position of said rolls in relation to said mandrel and thereby changing the eective diameter of the path of said rolls, and a friction reducing bearing to take the endvvise thrust upon said rolls, substantially as described.

ll. An expander, including, in combination, a mandrel having a plurality of parallel conical surfaces, a plurality of rolls With corresponding conical surfaces7 a cage constructed to retain said rolls in position and prevent rotation and limited radial movement thereof, friction reducing means carried by said cage to take the endvvise thrust upon said rolls, and means for changing the position of said rolls in relation to said mandrel and thereby vary the effective diameter of the path of said rolls, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

H. G. GILLMOR. In the presence of- THOMAS H. KELLY, MICHAEL A. HoRrGAN.

Copies of th'is patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

